Connecticut Huskies vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 12/28/2021 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Connecticut Huskies vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: FS1

Cintas Center is where the Xavier Musketeers (11-2) will meet the Connecticut Huskies (10-3) on Tuesday.

The Connecticut Huskies played Marquette and notched a win by a score of 78-70 in their last game. Connecticut ended the game having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (28 of 56) and knocked down 6 of 20 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Huskies made 16 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 88.9%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they collected 29 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 16 assists for this contest while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and having 8 steals. With regard to defense, Connecticut allowed the other team to go 48.1% from the field on 26 out of 54 shooting. Marquette recorded 15 assists and had 5 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Marquette grabbed 26 boards (4 offensive, 22 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Marquette finished the game at 76.5% from the free throw line by making 13 of 17 shots. They buried 5 of 15 tries from downtown. When it comes to personal fouls, the Huskies left the arena with 17 and Marquette finished the game with 18 personal fouls.

R.J. Cole is one guy who was important in this game. He recorded 20 points on 7 out of 12 shooting. He played 32 mins played and also collected 2 rebounds. He finished shooting 58.3% from the floor and also totaled 7 assists.

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Connecticut enters this one with a win-loss mark of 10-3 for the campaign. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.2 times per contest and as a group they are committing 17.6 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Connecticut is pulling in 41.9 rebounds per game and has accumulated 198 assists for the season, which has them ranked 47th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Huskies are hitting 33.9% on three-point shots (99 of 292) and 74.2% from the free throw line. They average 79.3 points per outing (50th in D-1) while shooting 43.9% from the field.

On defense, the Huskies are able to force 15.5 turnovers per game and they draw 18.4 personal fouls. They rank 118th in the country in allowing assists to their opponents with 132 surrendered this season. The Huskies are giving up a shooting percentage of 38.4% (286 of 744) and they relinquish 34.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They are conceding 32.3% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 63rd in college basketball in PPG allowed (62.3).

The last time they took the court, the Xavier Musketeers took a defeat with a final score of 71-58 when they played Villanova. The Musketeers were able to corral 23 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards totaling 27 for this contest. They also coughed it up 12 times, while earning 6 steals for the contest. Villanova was called for 15 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Musketeers to the free throw line for 13 attempts. They were able to make 10 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 76.9%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, Xavier converted 6 out of their 23 attempts (26.1%). Overall, the Musketeers finished shooting 21 out of 52 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.4%. The Musketeers allowed Villanova to convert 27 of 55 attempts from the floor which had them at 49.1% in the game. They finished the game shooting 28.6% from distance via 6 out of 21 and ended up shooting 11 of 17 at the charity stripe (64.7%). When talking about how they rebounded, Xavier allowed Villanova to grab 29 overall (4 on the offensive side).

Dwon Odom ended up being a factor for the Musketeers for the game. He converted 6 out of 8 for the contest for a field goal rate of 75.0%, and tallied 1 rebound. He accumulated 13 points in his 22 minutes on the court and had 2 assists in the game.

Xavier has a record of 11-2 so far this year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Musketeers are shooting 45.2% from the floor, which is 136th in Division 1. Xavier has accounted for 982 pts on the season (75.5 per game) and they average 40.9 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.2 times per game (76th in the country) and they turn it over 14.1 times per game. The Musketeers commit 14.6 fouls per contest and they hit 71.1% from the free throw line.

The Musketeers defensively are ranked 59th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 62.0. They are able to force 13.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 38.7% from the floor (36th in college basketball). The Xavier defense surrenders 30.8% on shots from distance (88 of 286) and their opposition knocks down 69.6% of their foul shots. They have conceded 11.5 dimes and 32.1 boards per game, which ranks them 114th and 78th in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Connecticut

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